Pathways to Resilience III: Beyond Nature vs. Nurture

Resilience in Mental Health:

Abstract #213
Resilience As Key Factors in the Prevention of Youth Suicide: Promising Perspectives
Presenter: Robert Louis
Abstract:
The main objective of this conference is to identify, analyze resilience factors involved in the prevention of youth suicide.
It is essentially, in terms of both empirical and theoretical data at the intersection of several disciplines, to determine the most significant factor, the missing link explaining why a suicidal person ha not committed the act. Identify and verify the relationship between resilience and stopping the suicidal gesture. We will try to answer the following questions: What is the relationship between resilience factors and the stopping of the suicidal act? What resilience factors actually worked in the non-passage to the act?

Abstract #247
Meaning of Resilience: Perspectives of Women With Postpartum Depression
Presenter: Arshi Shaikh Co - Presenters: Carol Kauppi, Hiren Rawal
Abstract:
An extensive body of research focuses upon resilience among women who encounter health issues, violence, and immigration. However, there is a dearth of research examining the meaning of resilience among women who experience postpartum depression (PPD) while residing in underserviced communities. Knowledge generated from the voices of women can facilitate the development of strengths-based interventions that specifically target such communities. 
A phenomenological study was designed to explore the meaning of resilience among women suffering from PPD in the underserviced communities of northern Ontario. Stories of personal strengths were gathered from twenty six women who met the inclusion criteria as per the purposive sampling technique. All women were 18 years and above, had experienced PPD within one year after giving birth to a live infant, and self-identified as resilient individuals. 
Narratives of women revealed debilitating effects of PPD and manifestation of resilience through interconnected existential and pragmatic strategies. Meaning-making, meaningful relationships, and self-nurturing emerged as salient dimensions of resilience. Women’s interpretations challenged the conventional dichotomy of risk versus resilience. The essence of resilience was identified as “embracing life in its entirety”. 
The findings have implications for future research and clinical practice in the areas of mental health and motherhood/parenthood.

Abstract #265
The Dynamic Interaction of DRD2 TaqIA Polymorphism and Maternal Parenting on Depressive Symptoms: Evidence From a Chinese Early Adolescent Sample
Presenter: Wenxin Zhang Co - Presenters: Y Cao, L Wang, L Ji, L Chen, K Deater-Deckard
Abstract:
Recent research suggested that gene by environment interactions on depression may vary across development. This study examined the concurrent associations between maternal parenting, DRD2 TaqIA polymorphism and adolescent depression on a sample of 1037 Chinese adolescents (M = 11.32±0.47 years old at T1) in a three-wave longitudinal study. Hierarchical regression models indicated that both maternal positive and negative parenting predicted concurrent adolescent depression significantly, whereas DRD2 TaqIA polymorphism had no main effect on depression. However, DRD2 TaqIA polymorphism interacted with negative maternal parenting significantly in predicting depression when adolescent were 11(T1) and 12 years old (T2). Specifically, adolescent of A1 carriers were more susceptible to the effect of negative parenting compared to those with A2A2 genotype. However, the interaction effect changed with age, such that it became non significant when adolescents was 13years old (T3). The findings provided a richer description of how genetic and environmental influences dynamically interact to produce early adolescents’ depression and elaborated the moderating effect of age and maternal parenting among adolescents.